Come Rain or Come Shine 

by Jan Karon

After somewhat disappointing results in her last book (see my previous post, a review of Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good), Jan Karon has once more hit the mark  in her Mitford tale Come Rain or Come Shine.  Readers are all invited to the wedding of Dooley and Lace and get to participate in the preparations as well.

The novels in the Mitford series are kind and gentle and this one is no exception.  The characters are not without problems, and realistic, unfortunate situations do arise.  Karon effectively uses a technique in this novel of sharing some of Lace’s journaling to show the reader her attitudes and the process she and Dooley had to go through to get to the point of marriage.

A new character, Jack Tyler, is introduced.  It seems he will be important in future books as Karon continues to spin her magic with words as the younger Mitford generation becomes the focus.  If you are not already a Mitford/Father Tim/Jan Karon fan, begin with the first Father Tim novel, At Home in Mitford. I strongly recommend joining the many readers happily anticipating the next events in Mitford.